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Sunday, 30 June 2013

Buckingham Palace

Mulberry Garden was once the center of prostitution in London, England. Today, it is the site of Buckingham Palace.

The palace was built in 1705 as the town house of the Duke of Buckingham. It was originally known as Buckingham House.

Buckingham House, c. 1710

King George III brought Buckingham House as a gift for his newly wed wife, Queen Charlotte for £28,000 (about £2 million or $2.65 today). It became their private family residence, leaving St James Palace to be the official royal residence.

When Buckingham House was bought by George III for Queen Charlotte, it became known as “The Queen’s House.”

Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live at Buckingham Palace. She moved there on July 13, 1837.

The picture below depicts the Marble Arch, which served as the ceremonial entrance to the Palace precincts

The palace c. 1837, depicting the Marble Arch

Edward Jones, known as “the boy Jones”, broke into the palace three times between 1838 and 1841. After his first break-in, at the age of 14, he was captured by the police in nearby St James’s St with Queen Victoria’s underwear stuffed down his trousers.

The biggest room in Buckingham Palace is the ballroom (120ft long, 59ft wide, 44ft high) which was opened in 1856 with a ball to mark the end of the Crimean War.

When the ballroom was opened in 1856, it was the largest room in London.